Split-Second Decision
by Rahi-1
Summary: What if Korra never admitted her feelings to Mako? What consequences might this split-second decision have? Korra/Bolin, Mako/Asami
1. Introducing, Avatar!

Update: 10/17/12; fleshed out a few bits, expanded a few scenes, nothing ground-breaking just a better read.

Disclaimer: LoK belongs to them people; them people being not me. Some Dialogue shamelessly ripped right from episode 5. I make no profit from this, which apparently makes this legal to write. Which is good, because I'm no lawyer, and I prolly can't afford one.

Chapter 1:

Introducing...Avatar!

Republic City; a cultural hub well-known throughout the world. Originally founded by Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko almost seventy years ago to promote peace and prosperity the world over, it has since grown into the second largest city in the world, second only to the legendary Earth Kingdom Capital of Ba Sing Se, and the only one of its unique architecture. Influences from all four of the elemental nations can be seen on nearly every street corner.

Perhaps one of the greatest sights of the city is the giant statue of Avatar Aang standing in Yue bay, at its base a museum dedicated to the importance of the Avatar; master of all four elements, and keeper of the balance between the physical world and the Spirit World. Known as Aang Memorial Island, it stands as a symbol of the power of the Avatar.

Power which the new Avatar, Korra of the Southern Water Tribe, would one day unlock. Already a master of Firebending, Waterbending, and Earthbending at the age of seventeen, she traveled to Air Temple Island in Republic City to learn under the sole remaining Airbending master since Aang's passing; his youngest son Tenzin.

Progress has been slow however; while with the other three elements she'd been bending with very little effort, after several weeks of training she'd only barely mastered the very basics of Airbending, and had yet to produce a single tiny sputtering of wind.

Despite this, she has gotten on well with her new Master's family, as well as made new friends and new enemies out whilst adventuring in Republic City (against Tenzin's orders naturally, though he soon came to the realization that he can't really stop her).

In an effort to train, as well as punish and discipline her, Tenzin gave Korra a number of chores around the island to do; and on this morning at least, Korra was instructed to fill the Winged Lemur feeders with assorted fruits which served as their breakfast.

However, she was not alone in this task.

"So...how's it going with the tall, dreamy, Firebending boy?" asked Jinora, Tenzin's eldest daughter. As with her father and the rest of the Air Acolytes, she was dressed in the traditional Air Nomad robes of red and yellow. Her short cropped brown hair wrapped in a single bun to the right side of her head tilted to the side as she inquired about fellow Airbender-in-training's love life.

"You've been spending a lot of time together lately," she added.

"Oh! Yeah! Tell us ALL about the magical romance!" exclaimed Ikki, Jinora's younger sister, excitedly. Like her sister, she was also garbed in the traditional Air Nomad clothes, her slightly darker brown hair wrapped up into two buns, one on each side of her head.

"What? Ha! Listen to you two, I'm not interested in Mako or any romantic stuff." claimed Korra dismissively. Although during training she usually wore the colors of nation whose bending she was learning, right now she was in her preferred casual clothing typical of Water Tribe; furred boots, baggy blue pants, blue undershirt and armbands with her furred coat wrapped around her middle. Her chocolate brown hair was done up into a ponytail and two bangs framing her face held together by blue stripes of cloth. With the last of the fruit entering the feeder, the Lemurs swarming the food, she turned away.

Coughing into her hand she added, "besides, he's more into that prissy, beautiful, elegant, rich girl Asami." Mako was one of her friends out in the city proper. Tall, handsome, and perhaps a little too serious, Korra been developing feelings for him ever since they first met. Even if he'd been a total jerk at the time. But then, Asami came out of nowhere and almost ran him over with her moped. As an apology, she'd asked him out to dinner and the two had been dating ever since, much to Korra's veiled jealousy and annoyance. She honestly had no idea what to do about it, if anything.

Looking back at the two Airbending sisters, an idea hit her and Korra threw up a coy smile, "But lets just pretend for a second I am interested in him...what would I do?"

"Oh! I just read a historical saga where the heroine fell in love with the enemy generals son, who was supposed to marry the princess. You should do what she did!" advised Jinora, ever the book worm.

"Tell me!" said Korra, attempting and somewhat succeeding at avoiding sounding desperate (cause she wasn't!).

"She rode a dragon into battle and burned down the _entire_ country. Then she jumped into a volcano, it was _so_ romantic!" answered Jinora dreamily.

Korra was somewhat less enthused; for starters where would she find a dragon? Weren't they supposed to have been hunted to extinction during the Hundred Year War? Not to mention burning down the country was a little extreme, and jumping into a volcano? Really? How would any of this help with her feelings for Mako?

"No, no, no!" yelled Ikki, gaining the attention of the other two girls. "The best way to win a boys heart is by brewing a love potion of rainbows and sunsets, that makes true lovers-" and Korra promptly tuned out the rest of what she said, already knowing the rest of it wouldn't help her anymore then the first bit.

"The volcano is starting to make more sense to me now," Korra stated mildly, careful not to say something that might offend the easily excited Airbender.

A chuckle interrupted her thoughts, causing all three girls to look at the source of it.

"Oh, hey! Pema..." greeted Korra awkwardly, "uh, how long were you standing there?"

Pema, Tenzin's wife, mother of three, and heavily pregnant with her fourth, gave Korra another chuckle, "long enough. But trust me, I know what you're going through. Years ago, I was in the exact same situation, with Tenzin," she said, walking over to the three girls.

"Daddy was in love with someone else before you?" asked Ikki, shocked.

"That's right," answered Pema.

"So what did you do?" asked Korra curiously.

"Well, for the longest time I did nothing. I was so shy and scared of rejection; but watching my soul-mate spend his life with the wrong women became too painful. So I hung my chin out there, and I confessed my love to Tenzin. And the rest is history." The three listening girls gushed at the story.

'Yeah, that could work,' thought Korra, 'no hesitation, no take-backs, no wondering what-if, just go in there, and tell him. Figure the rest out later.' Which, really, suited her normal style of things just fine. But even as new determination flooded her, a small creeping of doubt remained.

* * *

Later that day, the crowd inside the Republic City Pro-Bending Arena were going wild for the first match of the Pro-Bending Championship Tournament. The sport was a direct result of the cultural mash-up of Republic City, and each team was made up of one Waterbender, one Firebender, and one Earthbender. The rules and bending styles seen in use in the arena were generated in the interest of safety and fair-play; virtues which the founders of Republic City would undoubtedly approve of.

Although some viewed the sport as a mockery of traditional bending, popular opinion held it as the United Republic of Nations favorite pastime, and one which can be shared between benders and non-benders with equal cheer and celebration.

The current tournament was an annual event only started about a decade ago, in light of Pro-Bending gaining a significant upturn in business, and this year featured something very few, if any, people had expected from it; the legendary and mythical Avatar, playing on this season's favored rookie team; the Fire Ferrets. Playing as the teams Waterbender (and not permitted to to bend any other element during a match), Avatar Korra's original placement on the team was two parts dumb luck and one part teenage rebellion; and she wouldn't have it any other way. Her teammates and friends, the infamous 'Bending Brothers' Bolin, an up-beat Earthbender, and Mako, a Firebender, had originally placed the team in the spotlight alongside their friend Hasook due to a combination of the their rare talent and obvious inexperience. After winning a stream of local matches, they managed to snag a place in one of the exhibition tournaments; wherein the last match Hasook had been a no-show, and Korra had volunteered to take his place.

Making use of her Airbending teachings in order to dodge the oppositions attacks, Korra held on long enough for the three to narrowly pull out a win, qualifying them for the tournament which they were now taking part in. Following that, the three had become close friends, and between her Avatar training and her enlisted duties to Republic City, she trained with them regularly.

The effects of their training became immediately obvious to the local populace as their well-fought but short-lived match, ended.

"All three rounds go to the Future Industries Fire Ferrets! Who in their opening round of the tournament have decimated the opposition!" yelled the announcer into the microphone, the audience roaring either their approval or discontent.

The three teammates proudly made their way back to the locker rooms to change out of their uniforms, Bolin stopping to wave and yell his excitement back at the fans.

"Wow!" exclaimed Mako, "We were really connecting out there in that ring!"

Adrenaline still pumping from the match, Korra recalled Pema's words, and felt determination flow freely again, even as a slight blush adorned her cheeks, "yeah, I feel like the two of us have been connecting real well out of the ring, too."

"Uh, sure," replied Mako, uncertain as to where she was going with that particular statement, but too fired up to care.

"So, I was thinking we should spend some time together," pushed Korra, trying to avoid being so direct about her own feelings.

"We've been spending _lots_ of time together," countered Mako, suspicious as to her point.

"I mean outside of the gym, and not while searching for kidnapped family members, or fighting Chi Blockers," elaborated Korra, referencing their time fighting against the Equalist Faction who were the result of significant civil unrest towards the 'Bending Elite'.

"I don't know, Asami and I-" at the mention of Mako's girlfriend, Korra felt something inside snap and she was about to disregard all pretenses and simply TELL HIM; when that inkling of doubt from earlier exploded in her mind.

Did she really want to do this?

Despite her personal opinions and feelings on the matter, Mako and Asami _were_ happy together, far as she could tell. Did she really want to interfere with that happiness? Or what if Mako rejected her and both Mako and Asami hated her for it? She wasn't just playing with her own feelings, but Mako's and Asami's as well.

It would be incredibly selfish, not to mention quite unlike the 'Avatar' to potentially rip apart a seemingly happy couple for a chance at their own happiness.

In the end, Korra realized it wasn't worth the risk; she'd rather feel pain every day then jeopardize her friends' happiness. And really, if she were honest with herself, all her negative feelings towards Asami were purely because she was dating Mako. If she gave the rich girl a chance, Korra could easily see the two of them becoming as close as she'd already grown to Mako and Bolin.

Decision made, she refocused on Mako- and promptly realized he hadn't stopped talking while she thought to herself. Catching the gist of it ("I'm with Asami and am happy with her"- really, what she was thinking anyway), she cut him off, "Hey, it's alright, I understand. I, just...you know, was thinking about it is all, no big deal," she said, trying to ignore the sudden pain in her chest and found that she couldn't look him in the eye anymore, before turning towards her own locker. "Just, forget I ever said anything."

Mako for his part, knew that despite her words it wasn't 'alright' and 'no big deal', but he'd never been much of the sentimental type. Watching your parents get mugged and killed, then practically raising both yourself and your younger brother for the last decade had made such things a luxury he usually couldn't afford. He watched her turn away, unable to find the words to say to find out what was wrong, and how they might go about fixing it.

Eventually he turned away with a sigh, and did as she suggested; put her strange sudden behavior out of his mind, and did his best to forget it.

Just then, Asami burst through the door leading from the hallway, her long glossy black hair trailing behind her, "Congratulations guys, you were so amazing out there!" she said, walking up to Mako with the widest smile on her face as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. She was pleased to see a small, genuine smile on her boyfriends face as well.

Korra was careful not to look anywhere near them, and so saw Bolin approach with determination written all over his face. "So Korra...I was thinking, you and me, we could go get some dinner together, sort of a...'date' situation?"

A part of her really wasn't surprised Bolin was asking her out, given how he'd flirted with her when they first met. His interest hadn't gone unnoticed by Korra, and he had been generous and kind in the past. But on the other hand her split-second decision only a few seconds ago had worn her out emotionally. "Oh, that's really sweet, but I don't think so. I don't feel very date worthy," answered Korra absentmindedly, turning away from him.

"Are you kidding me?" asked Bolin incredulously, his tone causing Korra to look up at him again, "You're the smartest, funniest, toughest, buff-est, talent-est, incredible-est girl in the world!" exclaimed Bolin with the largest smile on his face.

Korra couldn't help the blush that suddenly overtook her features, nor the giggle that escaped her, "You really feel that way about me?"

"I felt that way since the moment I met you! Trust me, I know we're gonna have so much fun together!"

His enthusiasm was infectious, and after what she almost did, she could use some cheering up. If their date goes anything like the past few seconds, then, perhaps, she had been focusing on the wrong brother?

She dismissed that thought out of hand, but nonetheless responded, "You know what, I could use some fun. Okay, sure!"

"Yes! Who's the luckiest guy in the world, right here!" Bolin said as his put an arm around Korra's shoulders and walked her out of the locker room, both of them with matching grins on their faces.

* * *

"So, where we going?" asked Korra brightly as they approached Naga.

"Ah, just trust me on this. You're gonna love it," replied Bolin reassuringly, making motions with his hand for added emphasis, "it's actually pretty close by."

Stifling a giggle with her hand, she smiled at Bolin and gestured, "lead the way, then."

They'd been standing just outside the Pro-Bending Arena, where the last of the preliminary matches were still taking place inside, having just gotten done freshening up and changing out of their Fire Ferret Uniforms and into their preferred outfits. For Bolin, this meant a faded green collared shirt with matching dark green pants. At her invitation, Bolin lead Korra through the city towards their destination, Naga following at a sedate pace.

"So...can I at least get a clue as to where we're going?" asked Korra curiously after a few minutes of walking.

Bolin looked at her scratching his chin in a thoughtful manner. Smiling at her, he said, "it's a restaurant. That serves food," he said cheekily.

She scoffed, "oh really, they serve food? And how are you so sure I'll like the food there?"

Though she'd said it teasingly, it was actually a pretty legitimate question. Not one Korra was very worried about; during her training she'd been immersed in the different cultures as well as the different styles of bending, which included sampling various traditional foods from across the world. And now that she was learning Airbending and living on Air Temple Island, she'd been started on the traditional vegetarian diet of the Air Nomads. Out of all the different types and styles of food she'd tasted and smelled, she'd only ever held a particular aversion to one dish; a specialty Fire Nation Beetle Soup. Thankfully, the particular beetles used in the recipe were a rare delicacy, so she'd only encountered it at the dinner table a total of three times while she'd been mastering Firebending, and didn't go near it the latter two.

Apparently, the question didn't concern Bolin much either, "Oh, I'm pretty sure you'll like it," he said with the utmost confidence.

Now Korra was even more curious, but judging from her first two attempts Bolin wasn't going to tell her until they were already there. They settled into a companionable silence, accompanied by the noises of the city's awakening night life and, to Korra's mild surprise, Bolin's cheery humming. His good mood was apparent and incredibly infectious.

'Is he _this_ happy I said yes?' she thought with some amusement, 'or is it simply being with me that makes him this happy?'

She paused at that thought, tempted to dismiss it entirely, but then she remembered his words back in the locker room, and instead filed the thought away for future review. For now, she would enjoy the night best she could- and avoid thinking about Mako entirely.

"Ah, and there it is!" said Bolin, pointing it out with his hand as he looked at her, eager to see her reaction.

Following his finger, Korra felt her smile widen as she read the sign aloud, "Narook's Seaweed Noodlery, Traditional Southern Water Tribe Cuisine at Affordable Prices!" she turned to Bolin, suddenly breathless, "Wow," was all she could say.

"Yeah, I figured you being from the Southern Water Tribe and all, and being way out here in Republic City for your Avatar stuff, you mighta missed it a little." explained Bolin sheepishly.

"Wow," repeated Korra, feeling a small blush coming on, "That's really thoughtful of you Bolin, thank you." And now it was Bolin's turn to blush at the praise as he gave a small chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"It was nothing, really," he said modestly, "shall we go in?"

"Sure," said Korra, glancing at Naga, "You might as well just stay outside Naga." Naga gave a low whine in agreement before laying down near the entrance as Bolin and Korra made their way inside.

"How ya been doing Narook?" Bolin said when they entered, greeting an older man behind the counter.

"Ah, Bolin. Always a pleasure," replied Narook with a small smile, "and if I'm not mistaken the lovely young lady beside you is your teammate Avatar Korra. Heard you got into the tournament, but isn't it a bit early to be celebrating?" he admonished lightly.

Korra's eyes widened that he recognized her, though it wasn't particularly surprising; she had been in the newspapers an awful lot combating the Equalists before she'd effectively disappeared while training for the tournament.

Nonetheless, she flashed Narook a smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," she greeted politely.

"Oh, no no, the honor's all mine, Avatar. Any friend of Bolin's is a friend of mine. Please take an open seat and I'll be with you in a moment."

Neither one noticed Bolin's slight frown at Narook calling Korra his 'friend', but he was smiling again almost instantly and quickly lead Korra over to one of the tables near the windows after telling Narook, "Two of the usual."

"He was quite friendly," commented Korra, as they sat down glancing questioningly at Bolin.

"Yeah, Narook's a pretty cool guy for an old dude. Not that there's, you know, anything wrong with old guys, its just-" he quickly cleared his throat and started again, "so what do you think of this place so far?"

Amused at the subject change, Korra glanced around the restaurant, noting all the Water Tribe memorabilia decorating the walls. "It's a lot warmer around here, but it does reminds me a bit of home," she said fondly.

She looked back at Bolin to see a dreamy smile on his face as he stared at her. She rose her eyebrow after several seconds, at which point Bolin seemed to realize he'd been caught staring and shook himself before coughing into his hand and pointedly looking away, doing little to hide his blush. Korra giggled at his antics, which drew his attention again with a somewhat embarrassed smile.

Narook came by with two bowls of his signature Seaweed Noodle Soup before the embarrassed silence could be drawn out, and Bolin dived into his bowl with fervor.

Korra soon sampled the noodles, and found herself immensely pleased with the taste; just as the decorations looked like and reminded her of home, so too did the noodles.

"So how ya like it?" asked Bolin in between mouthfuls of noodles. His table manners might have been found atrocious by some of her White Lotus etiquette teachers, but Korra found she didn't really mind or care over much.

Besides, "It's delicious, and totally authentic! Man, I didn't realize how much I missed Water Tribe grub," she said with enthusiasm.

Swallowing his bite, Bolin said, "That's great! Cause this is my favorite joint! See, you love Water Tribe food, I love Water Tribe food, just another reason, we are so great together."

"They are good noodles," admitted Korra readily, enjoying the familiar taste and texture. The two continued to eat silently for the next few minutes, Korra finding that she really did enjoy Bolin's company. In fact, everything so far had turned out greater then she'd imagined- except for one thing.

"Hey, who's that creepy guy who keeps leering at us?"

Bolin looked confused for a second before he glanced behind him, and suddenly the ever-present smile vanished from his face, "That's Tahno...and the Wolfbats. The reigning champs, three years running. Don't make eye contact!" instructed Bolin, but it was already too late; Korra had been glaring back at her fellow Waterbender since Bolin had started explaining who he was.

"Uh oh, here he comes," said Bolin worriedly as Tahno and his group collectively got up and started walking over to their table. "Now don't mess with this guy, he's a nasty dude!"

Normally, Korra might have heeded Bolin's advice, but she was getting a really bad vibe from this guy and her Avatar training had taught her to never, under any circumstances, ignore her gut feelings. That, and she'd been having a great time until this guy showed up and soured it, so she was annoyed about that too.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Fire Ferrets, Pro-Bendings saddest excuse for a team. Tell me, how did a couple of amateurs like you luck your way into the tournament? Especially you, Avatar." Korra gave a disbelieving scoff at Tahno's attitude, which only made his smile grow wider, "You know, if you'd like to learn how a real pro bends, I could give you some...private lessons."

"You wanna go toe to toe with me, pretty boy?" replied Korra while standing up, annoyed.

"Go for it. I'll give you the first shot," taunted Tahno.

"Korra, don't! He's just trying to bait you- you hit him, and we're out of the tournament!" Bolin whispered urgently.

Staring at Tahno's confident, self-assured face, Korra felt her blood boil. There was no way she was just gonna let this go- but she had an idea.

Bringing up her hand, she heard Bolin give a slight gasp before bringing it to her lips and giving a sharp whistle. Naga burst her head through the open window and roared.

Tahno, taken completely by surprise, stumbled backwards with an embarrassingly high pitched yelp.

Recovering, he straightened himself out and fixed his hair before, wisely deciding to leave them alone for now, gestured to his posse to leave with him.

Watching the group leave, Bolin and Korra suddenly burst out laughing. "I've never seen someone rastle Tahno like that! You, Korra, are one of a kind!" said Bolin, awe apparent in his voice, making Korra blush from the praise.

* * *

Soon after, the couple left Narook's (Bolin, being the gentlemen, naturally payed for the meal- and also because Korra, having lived in a compound practically all her life didn't have any money) and at Bolin's suggestion headed for an Ice Cream joint a little further down the road.

"So you've never had ice cream before?" asked Bolin incredulously.

Korra shook her head, "No, it wasn't exactly commonplace in the South Pole. From what I know of it, most people use it to cool off; down there, if anything, we needed to keep warm. Besides, kind of a lack of dairy farms among all the glaciers to make any locally with, and transportation costs were a lot higher then White Lotus was willing to pay," seeing Bolin's thoughtful expression, she continued, "I mean, I always wanted to try it, but there wasn't really a reason to before."

Bolin nodded thoughtfully, before flashing her a wide grin, "Well, we'll just have to fix that, now won't we? I bet you're gonna love chocolate ice cream!"

Korra, who had merely been interested before, now found herself looking forward to their arrival with eagerness. When they arrived, Bolin held the door open for her to enter. The walls were all painted warm colors, and large circular windows let in a lot of light from outside. During the day it would be very bright, though even with the sun down the streetlamps and other outside lighting ensured the store was well-lit. And anywhere they might have been shadows, lights hanging from the ceiling ensured there were none, and combined with the warm colors made the place have a comfortable homey feel. The place was designed to make its patrons relax and enjoy, and a look at the menus hanging above the counter informed Korra that they didn't just serve Ice Cream, but all manner of desserts.

It didn't escape her notice that Ice Cream was, in fact, one of the cheaper items on the menu, but some of the really specialized cakes simply seemed...unnecessary. Then again, she knew it was unfair to judge any food before you sampled it, so perhaps they were worth the extra expense...not that she really had any idea of a proper price for any of it.

She choose not to comment on it, instead letting Bolin order for them again. He'd pointed out where their many, many flavors were listed, but given how she had no idea how to even pronounce half of them, she gestured for him to do it for her.

That was how she found herself seated beside Bolin at the counter, a small sample plate of nine different flavors of ice cream in front of her.

"The three in the middle are Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry," explained Bolin, pointing out a white, brown, and pink blobs, "Basically any ice cream place anywhere has them. The green one is mint, that one is vanilla mixed with cookie dough, and that one has peanut butter and caramel in it," he continued. Slightly bewildered by it all, she eventually took the spoon that was given to her and tried a bite of each one.

As it turned out, Bolin's prediction turned out to be correct; out of all of the different flavors, chocolate was definitely her favorite among them. She turned to him with a curious smile, "How did you know chocolate would be my favorite?"

Bolin blinked owlishly at her a few times, then with a shrug and a smile, "Everyone loves chocolate."

Korra frowned, slightly disappointed that his reasoning wasn't tailored to his knowledge of her preferences, as their dinner at Narook's had been, but she found no reason to argue with the statement. Finishing her samples, she turned to Bolin to ask what came next.

"Well, we could get a bowl of ice cream," he said thoughtfully, "or do you want to try the smoothies?"

Not entirely sure what a smoothie was, Korra shrugged, "Do they come in chocolate?"

In responce, Bolin addressed person behind the counter and said, "two chocolate smoothies, please!"

In what seemed like only a few seconds to Korra, two glasses filled with a brownish goop vaguely resembling the chocolate ice cream from earlier were placed in front of them with a straw in them.

The two enjoyed the delectable desert for several minutes, when a burp beside her broke up the monotony. Looking at Bolin, she saw he'd covered his mouth with his hand, mortified at his involuntary action. Taking pity on him, she gave a burp of her own.

Relief that she wasn't offended showed on his face, even as he smiled and then let out a noticeably longer belch. He crossed his, smiling playfully.

Not one to be outdone, Korra immediately sucked in a breath and managed to give a monstrous belch that put his to shame. The two shared a look, and then burst out laughing at the impromptu immaturity both of them displayed, and they only laughed harder when they saw the disgusted looks of their fellow patrons.

* * *

"We still got a few hours before we gotta turn in," said Bolin as he looked at a nearby clock tower, "anywhere you want to go before then?"

Korra shrugged, "Nothing really comes to mind." In all honesty, she'd had a great time. While she did want it to last a little bit longer, she wasn't entirely adverse to quitting while they were ahead either.

Bolin, apparently, was not of the same mindset as he looked up and down the street for inspiration on where to go, before his eyes locked onto a distant structure.

"I know the perfect place to finish up tonight," said Bolin with a broad grin, "Harmony Tower."

Looking at the place in question, Korra gave a shrug, then a smile, then an, "alright."

"We'll prolly have to ride Naga to get there on time- that is, if its ok with her," suggested Bolin, unsure.

"Oh, please," scoffed Korra, "she's been sleeping the whole day away, Naga'll be fine." Naga herself gave a loud bark of agreement, excited at the prospect of getting some proper exercise, rather then simply following them all around the city.

Korra quickly got on Naga, easily slipping into the harness, before helping Bolin get secured, as Naga shot off into the street.

A lot faster then Bolin thought it would take (he noticed very quickly neither Korra nor Naga seemed to know the rules of the road; probably something to discuss with them at a later date), they were at the base of the tower, where Korra told Naga to wait for them as they started climbing the stairs.

"I think you're really gonna enjoy it up here. You can see practically the whole city!" said Bolin excitedly.

"I gotta wonder what Air Temple Island looks like from up there," mused Korra.

"You'll find out soon enough! Come on!" urged Bolin.

"I'm already 'coming on', Bolin," said Korra with a chuckle, "You're the one who needs to hurry up!"

Taking her words as a challenge, the two quickly sped up, racing each other to the top. After the third time they'd nearly tripped over the other visitors, or their own feet, they burst into laughs again, and decided to end the game before someone actually got hurt.

Finally reaching the top, the sight took Korra's breath away. While many locations around the world held their own ethereal or natural beauty, Republic City was just about the only place in the world with its own particular brand of artificial beauty. The way the city lit up like a hill of fireflies at night was just simply awe-inspiring; and the fact that seventy years ago, it had just been a few tiny villages made it even more amazing. That over the course of two generations, what once been a profitable, but mostly empty landscape had been transformed into the second largest, and definitely most advanced city in the world.

The Pro-Bending Arena, so large when looking up at it, and appearing even larger on the inside, was now merely a tiny golden dot smaller then her thumb.

Air Temple Island, majestic up close and mysterious from the shore, now looked like a simple jagged rock out in the bay.

She was surprised she could still make out the features of Avatar Aang's statue out on Aang Memorial Island. His youthful (at the time) determination to bring peace and balance to the world, apparent in his face. Would he be proud of her?

The thought was sudden and unbidden, but from what she knew, Aang had always been more interested in fun then work as a child. Kitara herself had mentioned that the first time she'd met him, his only interest was taming one of the local penguins for a round of penguin sledding. This type of behavior, naturally, was heavily discourage by the White Lotus, and Tenzin would likely disapprove of such actions as well, but overall Korra felt Aang would understand and approve. After all, she did, and wasn't she and Aang the same person deep down or something?

Shaking the weighty, philosophical thoughts away from her mind, she looked in amazement as Bolin pointed out the part of the city where Narook's was situated, her smile just as big as his.

* * *

"Ya know, I think I would have been more comfortable just walking you to the port," said Bolin an hour later as they approached the Pro-Bending Arena. Soon after officially joining the Fire Ferrets, Korra had learned that Mako and Bolin actually lived in a rented space on the top floor.

"Yeah, but me and Naga can just swim home, and this way I don't have to worry about you getting into trouble," replied Korra teasingly.

"Yeah, because _I'm_ the trouble magnet out of the two of us."

"You _did_ get kidnapped just a few weeks ago," pointed out Korra dryly.

"That was...not my...not cool, Korra, not cool," he said, wagging his finger in a 'no-no' fashion, causing Korra to burst out laughing at his antics. She was doing that a lot, she'd noticed.

As her laughter died down, the two started smiling awkwardly at each other, neither certain what to say next.

Thankfully, Bolin broke the silence, "So, I guess this is...goodnight?"

"I guess," replied Korra, "goodnight Bolin," stepping up she kissed him on the cheek, "and thank you. I had a great time, really," she said with a blush and smile.

Bolin was also blushing madly, and rubbing the cheek she'd kissed with his hand, "heh heh heh, I'm really glad. Maybe we can do it again sometime, soon!"

"I'd like that," replied Korra as she mounted Naga. "See you in the morning, Bolin! We got a match to win!"

"Yeah, we'll show them all! Go Fire Ferrets!" yelled Bolin as he watched Korra and Naga jump into the bay and start swimming for Air Temple Island. He stayed and watched them shrink into the distance for several minutes before finally turning in with the brightest smile on his face.

* * *

AN: so, got the date done. And I'm very proud of myself for that part being over 90% original content.

That was a lot more then I thought it would be. Originally had this split into two chapters, but the length was pitiful (in my own opinion), so I combined them. Having reread it a couple times now, I think it flows better now anyway.

I think I got it across that Korra is not yet over Mako, but she is covering up her feelings with how amazing Bolin makes her feel. Not the most healthy alternative, but it worked for her this day; only time will tell if it bites her in the [butt] later.

I also feel like mentioning, that Mako's canon feelings for Korra are there; it's just he's used to burying his emotions under layers and layers of mental garbage. I believe in canon he only started noticing his feelings for Korra because she admitted them; leading him to realize he loves her as well, but hes no where near heartless enough to simply leave Asami for what appears to be no reason, which resulted in all the confusion in canon.

Instead, here, he probably won't realize his feelings for her until Korra and Bolin have been going strong for a while. And by then, it'll be much too late to do much about them (unless Korra and Bolin break up for some reason, which is possible, but I've no plans regarding such; though it'd be an interesting plot twist...).

Mako is an incredibly flawed character, which is awesome, but I honestly don't think he's the one for Korra; especially not when Bolin is right there, giving her everything she wants and, more importantly, everything she needs. Let's just hope Korra can do the same for him.

Next chap will be the quarter and semi finals. Possibly the Finals as well, pending the length.

So, review and stuff, tell me what you liked and didn't like. I'm trying to improve my writing, but I can never tell if I'm simply being paranoid or if something is genuinely messed up, so I need other people to point it out for me.

Also; on ripping directly from the episode, like I said I'm trying to improve. In the past, moving away from canon has lead to immense, seemingly impassable writers block for me. So I'm using the episodes like a crutch to actually get somewhere with this story; if I get far enough, the crutch will eventually break, but hopefully my legs will have healed by then, metaphorically I mean.

That'd be a terrible thing to happen in real life. Hm. That wasn't morbid at all. I'm rambling, aren't I?

See you next chap!


	2. The Tournament (Part 1)

Update: 10/18/12; fixed a few things things that were massively bothering me (mostly the Mako being ooc).

Disclaimer: Don't own. No profit. Shamelessly ripped (some) more dialogue, support the official release. Etc.

Chapter 2:

The Tournament (Part 1)

Korra looked up at the Pro-Bending Arena with anticipation. The preliminaries had finished yesterday, and the quarter and semi-finals would take place today. She would have been here a lot earlier to squeeze in a few extra practice sessions (and spend a little bit of extra time with Bolin), but Tenzin had held her up with a few Airbending meditation exercises.

She'd gone along with it, her good mood from her date with Bolin the day before not having faded yet, and here she was, later then she'd like but still relatively early. Say what you will about Tenzin, he was usually pretty reasonable, and greatly disapproved of tardiness.

She was surprised to see Mako waiting out on the steps, and she actually hesitated; thoughts about what she'd almost did the day before, her feelings for him, her date with Bolin, all of it swirled up into a confusing maelstrom in her mind. Shaking her head, she shoved it all into the back of her mind; she had a match to win, and she couldn't do that if she couldn't face her teammates without cracking.

Taking a quick, calming breath, she threw up a smile and resumed walking.

"Hey Mako," she greeted casually.

"Hey Korra," he greeted back, standing up as she approached, "can we talk?"

Stopping beside him, she said, "sure. What about?"

Mako took a moment to collect his thoughts, but Korra had a bad feeling about the hard look in his eye, "I want to know what your intentions are towards my brother," he said firmly, almost harshly.

Korra was taken aback by the hostility in his voice. Ordinarily she would likely have replied in kind to unexpected aggression, but this was Mako that she was talking about. There was probably a reason for it, even if she didn't know what it was just yet. "I'm not entirely sure if that's your business," she started slowly, "but I don't really have any 'intentions'. We were just having fun."

"So if he asked you out again, you'd say no?"

Mako or not, she was quickly tiring of his attitude, "if he asked me again I'd probably say yes. It's not like I have any reason not too," she said hotly.

Mako's glare only intensified. Fed up, she glared back, "ok, what is this really about?"

Mako flinched in surprise, "What are you talking about?" he said.

"You're acting all angry with me just for going out on a date with your brother. I don't see anything wrong with that and frankly, you're staring to annoy me with your attitude," fumed Korra, involuntarily making motions with her hands as she talked.

Mako seemed taken aback by her response. He suddenly turned away from her, "I'm just looking out for my little brother. I don't want to see him get his heart broken," he said defensively.

_'You've got a funny way of showing it,'_ thought Korra, but nonetheless his explanation calmed her down a little. Though she'd never had siblings of her own (now that she thought about it, had any Avatar had any siblings?), she'd heard stories from Katara about Sokka's overprotective streak when they were younger.

She also recalled a particular quote she once heard the wise healer say, "Love follows no logic but its own."

A statement which applied more to the current situation then Korra would likely ever know. (1)

"I understand. I don't want to see that either," said Korra softly.

Mako blinked, then looked over confusedly, "what?"

"I don't want to see Bolin get hurt anymore then you do, Mako." Korra elaborated, "but judging from last night, I don't think either of us really gotta worry about that. Besides," she continued, glancing back at the stadium, "right now we got a match to win. What do you say we focus on that for the next few hours, huh?"

Mako looked down not saying anything for a while. Then he nodded, "yeah, you're right. We should be focusing on the match right now. And Korra," he hesitated as she glanced questioningly at him, "I'm...I'm sorry. You were right, it really wasn't my business, I shouldn't have pried. I just...worried, I guess," he let out a sigh of frustration at his inability to find the right words.

Korra put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "like I said, I understand. You don't have to explain yourself to me, Mako. But, apology accepted," she said with a teasing smirk, "now lets go get suited up!"

* * *

Inside, the stands were alive with anticipation, as guests and visitors the world over convened for the quarter finals. A hush fell over the crowd as the lights dimmed, before roaring back to life as they heard the announcer speak.

"Eight teams have been eliminated, and eight advance into the Quarter-Finals, which get under way tonight! In our first match of the night, the Fire Ferrets go up against the former and longest reigning champs, the Black Quarry Boar-q-pines! Youth clashes against experience in a battle for the ages! Or rather, _of_ the ages!"

Down in the locker rooms, just minutes away from being sent out, the Fire Ferrets were double checking their gear.

"Okay, we've seen these guys Pro-Bend before in previous tournaments," Bolin told Korra, "three years ago they were an amazing team, they only lost to the Wolfbats due to a few bad calls."

"I remember everyone was looking forward to the rematch," tuned in Mako, "but their Firebender took an arm injury during training, and they ended up sitting the whole tournament out."

"Yeah, after that they just weren't the same, they got decimated in last years Quarter-Finals," continued Bolin sadly.

"Well, that's too bad for them," said Korra, "cause its about to happen again," she slammed her fist into the palm of her hand and smirked at the Bending Brothers confidently. Bolin, of course, smiled broadly back at her, while Mako merely nodded at her.

A ring was heard and Bolin said, "hey, that's our cue."

The voice of the announcer rang loud and clear throughout the stadium, "Introducing, the Future Industries Fire ferrets!" The Stands roared for the favorite rookie team of the year. Bolin waved enthusiastically to their fans, Korra smiled excitedly at the sight, while Mako maintained a calm facade.

"And back again for another shot at their previous title, introducing, the Black Quarry Boar-q-pines!" If the audience was loud before, it was deafening now. It seemed there was a lot of people who wanted the champs to return to their former glory.

_'Sorry, not today,'_ thought Korra with a smirk.

Both teams took their places and stances. At the ding, an explosion of bending clashed over the middle of the stadium.

"Oh, Mako takes an early hit and gets knocked into zone two, but-oh nice move! He launches a fire bolt knocking Torgu into zone two as well! Korra and Bolin forming a very solid defense up front with Mako striking from behind and- they went on the offensive! Mali gets knocked into zone two, but Torgu and Jakob send Bolin way back into Zone three! It's just Korra and Jakob, two Waterbenders holding on to Zone 1 as their teammates try to support them from behind! Things seem to be heating up, in typical Waterbender fashion they're just dodging and weaving through the field like an intricate dance! We seem to have come to a stalemate folks and- good teamwork by the Boar-q-pines, Korra is pushed back into zone 2 and the Boar-q-pines get the green light to advance! With only 30 seconds left on the clock the Fire Ferrets will have to push hard to cinch the round, will they do it?" (2)

Unfortunately, the answer to that was no; not making the mistake of underestimating their opponents, the experienced Boar-q-pines put their foot down and didn't budge more then a few inches during that last half minute, earning them the round.

"They were a bit better then I thought they'd be," said Korra in between deep breaths, trying to control her breathing and prepare for the next round.

"What did you expect? Them to just keel over and give us the match?" asked Mako dryly.

"I expected them to all be in the drink by now, yeah. But Tenzin always says I lack patience or whatever," replied Korra jokingly.

"Not a bad idea," cut in Bolin. Seeing he had their attention, "We be patient. Form a wall, don't let anything through until we see an opening. Basically what we just did, except without Mako getting knocked into Zone 2 right off the bat where they can see his attacks coming from a mile away."

"Hey!" cried Mako indignantly.

"Sorry bro, you know its true," Bolin said with a smirk, before getting serious again, "So?"

"Worth a try," answered Korra immediately.

Mako was more hesitant, but seeing he was outvoted gave a quiet, "fine."

Both teams were back in position less then a minute later, and then the ding of the bell began round two. The three Fire Ferrets put up a solid defensive line, ready to exploit any openings that would give them the advantage.

A decent strategy in most cases, especially as they had the skill and talent to quickly turn the tables; unfortunately they were playing against perhaps the most experienced team in Pro-Bending, and they instantly knew a defensive strategy when they saw one. Going defensive in turn, they strategically left openings for the Ferrets to exploit. But either in their inexperience or recognizing the ploy, they never took them.

They continued to trade speedy and strategic strikes, but it was obvious to the audience that neither side quite had the upper hand. With time ticking down, the Boar-q-pines made a judgment call, and instantly turned offensive. Suddenly the Fire Ferrets didn't have time to check for openings, they were too busy dodging, blocking, and getting hammered by the elements.

"Oh, an impressive bit of Waterbending there by Korra, the Boar-q-pines are pushing hard but the Fire Ferrets are not-budging-one-inch!" Shiro said from the announcer's booth, emphasizing the last four words.

"And times up! As neither side managed to one-up the other, the round ends in a tie! We now go to a tiebreaker to decide round two!"

Both teams lined up next to the ref, who held up a red and blue sided coin, each side representing one side of the field. The whole arena watched the coin toss, which turned up blue.

"The Boar-q-pines win the coin toss! Which element do you choose?" announced the aged referee.

The three experienced Pro-Benders deliberated among themselves for only a few seconds, before Torgu stepped forward, "We choose Earth."(3)

"You got this Bolin," said Korra confidently, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks Korra," replied Bolin with a small smile as he looked right into her eyes.

They both missed Mako's scowl.

The center platform began to rise as each teams Earthbender stepped onto it and everyone else stepped off. Torgu was the very picture of calculating calm, while Bolin was of determined confidence,_ 'Korra is counting on me. No way am I gonna let her down,'_ thought Bolin.

At the bell, both Earthbenders burst into motion, two pairs of earth discs smashing into each other not two seconds after. Torgu went full offensive, jumping at Bolin. Thinking quickly, Bolin rolled forward. Both players quickly recovering their stances, Bolin surprised Torgu by charging right at him, and attempted to grapple him out of the ring. However, despite Bolin's superior strength and agility, Torgu's experience allowed him to reverse the grapple with practiced ease.

Acting quickly, Bolin twisted his body, bending an earth disk into the air.

"Bolin strikes from mid-air, knocking Torgu to the edge of the circle! Another strike from Bolin and Torgu's in the drink! Round two goes to the Fire Ferrets!"

Bolin quickly reunited with his teammates, "Man, did you guys see that? I was like 'wish' and he was like 'woosh'-" he said, making accompanying motions with his hands before Korra cut him off.

"We saw it Bo," she said, chuckling.

"Yeah, you did great up there, bro." said Mako with a small smile before it turned into a frown, "But get serious, its still anyone's game, and defense didn't really work out for us."

"Ah, come on, ya gotta admit it was pretty good," whined Bolin.

"It was great, but it also didn't work this time," compromised Korra, "we need a new strategy."

"These guys know every trick in the book," pointed out Mako, "we're not gonna catch them off guard easily."

Korra looked down in thought, glancing over at Torgu, who had only just reached the top of the elevator and was making his way back over to the playing field. "Then we stop trying to out think them, and simply outperform them," she looked back over to her teammates, "we take it to them, and we take it to them hard, don't give them the chance to catch up."

"You got it, Korra," replied Bolin with a smile.

Mako gave a small sigh, before giving her a nod, "I understand. Let's show them what the Fire Ferrets are made of!"

"That's what I'm talking about!" exclaimed Korra as the teams lined up for the third and final round of the match.

The Boar-q-pines seemed to sense that their opponents had switched up tactics, and prepared themselves for anything. Unfortunately, the sheer unrelenting onslaught of bending sent their way as soon as the bell rang didn't seem to fall under their definition of 'anything'.

"The Fire Ferrets are not holding back this round! 10 seconds after the ding Mali has already been knocked back into zone two, Jakob right off into the drink, and- impressive dodge by Torgu but right into a fire blast from Mako, good teamwork there! The Fire Ferrets are given the green light to advance, and a strike from Korra sends Torgu right into zone three! The Boar-q-pines seem to have recovered enough to dodge a few strikes but I tell ya folks I don't see them w- and combined fire from all three Ferrets launches Mali into the drink, followed closely by Torgu! Wow! I don't think we've seen such flawless teamwork since the Boar-q-pines themselves! Bravo, Future Industries Fire Ferrets! Bravo!"

* * *

"That was so amazing! When we stopped pulling our punches they didn't know what to do with themselves, they were just falling and- man!" gushed Bolin, adrenaline still pumping, "You were amazing out there Korra," he said affectionately.

"You weren't so bad yourself, Bolin," replied Korra playfully.

"We _all_ did pretty good out there tonight," cut in Mako proudly.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," came a fourth voice from the doorway.

"Asami?" said Mako, sounding surprised. He quickly recovered, shaking his head and giving her a smile.

She walked over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, "you don't sound all that happy to see me," she said with a confused smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"What are you talking about? I'm always happy to see you," he replied, giving her a hug. Korra thought she saw a grimace on his face out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned to look he was all smiles. Deciding she'd merely imagined it, she turned back to Bolin.

"So, any victory plans tonight?" she asked him.

"What, like another date?" asked Bolin curiously. At her nod, he smiled and said, "what did you have in mind?"

"Uh, didn't really have anything in mind," replied Korra honestly, "that's why I was asking you."

"Oh...OH!" said Bolin, getting what she meant. He was about to open his mouth to suggest a place when he was cut off by Asami.

"You two are dating?" she asked, surprised.

"Er, uh, well," started Korra, "its just been the one date so far, but I had a good time," she became aware she was blushing, and Asami's intrigued smile wasn't helping. Turning to Bolin, "and I wouldn't mind another one."

Bolin was also blushing slightly, and he was wearing a very pleased grin.

"I think I remember that," said Asami, regaining the attention of Korra and Bolin, "Smartest, toughest, incredible-ist girl in the world?" she asked with a sly smile and a raised eyebrow directed at Bolin, causing his pleased grin to turn to an embarrassed one.

"I still think it's true," muttered Bolin quietly, though only Korra was close enough to hear him clearly.

"Have you two been to the park yet?" asked Asami after a few seconds, having had her fun teasing them, "Mako and I went there a few days ago, it was nice."

"It's a...good place to think," added Mako, "about a lot of things."

"Or very few," said Asami suggestively, looking at her boyfriend she was pleased to be greeted with one of his rare, loving smiles.

Ignoring their lovey dovey eyes out of habit, both Bolin and Korra turned to each other. "So...the park?" asked Korra.

After a moment of thought, Bolin replied, "the park sounds _perfect_."

"Alright! I'm gonna go freshen up upstairs, meet you by the entrance, alright?"

"I'll be there, Korra." The two shared a smile, before Korra whipped out of the room to head upstairs.

* * *

Feeling much better, and prepared for another date with Bolin, Korra approached the Pro-Bending Arena entrance. She quickly spotted Bolin, since he was the only one out there. She noticed he was holding something in his hands, but before she could get close enough to identify what it was, he seemed to notice her approaching and hid whatever it was behind his back.

"Hey!" he greeted with a small wave and a blush, his other hand still behind his back.

"Hey Bo," Korra greeted back, noticing how his blush deepened when she called him by his shortened name. 'Something to keep in mind,' she thought to herself. "What do ya got there?" she asked curiously.

Interestingly, both his smile and his blush got bigger, "This," he said, pulling it out from behind his back, "I got for you."

Korra found her mouth hang open and a blush of her own deepen at the sight of the bouquet of roses in his hands. "Wow," she said, feeling just as breathless as she did when he'd showed her Narook's. "Thank you," she continued, taking the roses from him and giving them a small sniff before smiling broadly at him. "If you're trying to impress me, its working, but you don't have to keep giving me gifts every time we meet."

"Ah, er, well, I like giving you gifts. Seeing your reaction makes it worth it, every time."

They shared a smile before Korra walked over and looped her arm in with his, both their blushes deepening at the action, "so, to the park?"

"Uh, yeah yeah, to the park!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Asami and Mako were relaxing upstairs in the Bending Brothers rented space, enjoying the view and the quiet. However, Mako's mood suddenly soured when he saw Bolin and Korra riding atop Naga on their way into the city.

Asami took notice, "hey, are you ok?"

"I'm fine," said Mako a little too quickly, walking away from the window and sitting down in a chair.

Knowing instantly he wasn't 'fine', she glanced back out the window, searching for whatever changed his mood so suddenly. Turning back towards Mako, she said, "Is this about Bolin and Korra?"

"No. Yes, maybe, I don't know," he stopped and took a deep breath. After a short pause, "I think so."

Taking a few steps closer to him, Asami asked, "so what's wrong?"

Mako looked up at her pleadingly before looking back at the ground, his expression hardening into indifference. "I don't know. I just don't like the idea of them dating."

"Why not?" asked Asami, confused, "I thought they made a cute couple."

"Because...because...I don't know. I told Bolin its because its a bad idea to date a teammate, I told Korra I don't want to see my brothers heart get broken, but...," Mako said, struggling with his words.

"Neither of those are it, are they?" asked Asami quietly. Mako shook his head no, his irritation adding to his confusion.

"Has your brother dated other women before?" asked Asami curiously.

"A few that I know of, but they never lasted very long. And I never really had a problem with them either, so long as Bolin stayed outta trouble," answered Mako slowly.

"So if it isn't your brother, maybe its Korra?"

Mako gave her a harsh look, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Asami was taken aback by the sudden hostility. "I mean, if your problem with them dating isn't with Bolin, maybe your problem stems from Korra somehow?"

Mako's eyes widened, before he looked away, ashamed at his outburst, "Oh."

"So...is it something about Korra? Maybe about her being the Avatar?" ventured Asami. She was a little shaken at his attitude, but determined to figure this out. The Avatar had a lot of responsibilities, so perhaps he was worried that she wouldn't have time for Bolin later on?

"This has nothing to do with her being the Avatar," said Mako dismissively, effectively ending her train of thought.

Asami found herself puzzled, "then what is it?"

"I don't know, alright," snapped Mako, not looking at her.

Asami knelt down on her knees next to him and put her hand into his, suddenly feeling very worried for her boyfriend. Reassured slightly by him giving her hand a slight squeeze, she said, "You know you can tell me anything right?"

He looked at her then, and the earnest pleading in her eyes scared him to the core."Yeah, I know," he said quietly.

"Then tell me what's wrong."

Mako gave a frustrated groan, "I don't know whats wrong, that's what I've been saying!"

She gave a smal, sad sigh, coming to understand she wasn't going to found out anything by asking him so directly, and with him so heated up pressuring him would do more harm then good. So instead she said, "it's okay. I believe you."

He turned to look at her again, his eyes regretful, "I'm sorry."

"i said it was alright," Asami said with a hopeful smile, "I understand."

Mako couldn't help but think that was the second time that day a girl had said that to him; and he couldn't help but feel that both of them didn't understand it anymore then he did.

* * *

"So how've you been liking it so far?" asked Bolin softly.

"It's nice. Peaceful," replied Korra, "not really used to peaceful; was always bored at the compound so I'd ramble up some chaos for fun, and of course at the Island the kids keep that up way better then I ever did."

She was still holding the roses Bolin had given her at the Arena in one hand, while her other hand was wrapped around his arm, her head resting on his shoulder. She imagined he must have been blushing ever since, because he was really warm. She didn't realize she was blushing as well.

She could also easily feel his toned muscles beneath his shirt. Earthbending traditionally required a much larger muscle mass then the other bending arts, although skilled practitioners such as past Avatars or the Metalbending Police proved that such things weren't actually necessary. Not to mention, with modern styles of Earthbending such as Bolin's 'light on your feet' style, the extra weight from the muscles would only make you a bigger target and slow you down, making you more likely to get hit.

Still, all the Bending styles, most of which were adapted from non-Bending martial art styles in one form or another, required a degree of physical fitness, which kept active Benders healthy and physically attractive.

Probably one of many contributing factors to the Equalist unrest in the city, if she were to think about it.

Still, she was slightly embarrassed to realize that she hadn't looked at or even thought of Bolin remotely in this light, and with a frown she realized why; when they'd first met, she thought he'd been incredibly nice and sweet. His comments made it slightly obvious that he was just happy to have a pretty girl to talk to, and she'd shot him down before he could get too carried away, but he'd recovered from that almost instantly. He'd kept his distance, for which she'd been thankful, but then Mako came in.

And when Mako came in, she'd practically stopped noticing Bolin altogether. At least until he'd asked her out just yesterday.

Shaking her head from her troubling line of thoughts, she couldn't help another one, "Hey Bolin...have you done this before?"

She felt him shift, likely turning his head to look at her, "Done what? Walk through the park?" he asked curiously.

"I mean dating," clarified Korra.

He was silent for several seconds, "A few times. Never got to the second date before, though," glancing down at her, "what brought this on?" he said, uncomfortable.

"Just thinking," she answered quietly. Looking around, enjoying the view, enjoying the closeness with Bolin, she couldn't help a smile on her face, "You know, I'm kinda glad Asami recommended the park."

"It's not exactly my first choice but its definitely got its good points," he said with a shrug.

"Oh? And what would've been your first choice?" asked Korra curiously.

"Heh, you'll find out tomorrow, if there's any time in between the Finals and our Victory Celebration," said Bolin confidently.

"Bit early to be planning a victory party isn't it? We still got two matches left to win."

"Nah. If we end up losing I'll just reuse the plans next year," replied Bolin, unbothered. Korra smiled at his persistently positive attitude.

"Ya know, speaking of the tournament, Mako really wasn't doing too hot this morning was he?" he said with concern.

Korra gave a mental groan as the subject turned to Mako; she wasn't yet over her feelings for him, not that she'd even think of dumping Bolin now if she had half a chance, but it was a lot easier to enjoy their dates when she could pretend there was just the two of them.

"He wasn't really all there, till the end," Korra agreed, "I wonder if..." she trailed off, unsure.

"Ya wonder if what?" asked Bolin, when it became clear she wasn't going to finish.

"Well, we had a bit of a chat before the match. Apparently he doesn't approve of us dating? Or didn't anyway. Pretty sure I got through to him, but he seemed pretty distracted at the time, I guess. I was wondering if he was still thinking about that when we were playing and that's what threw him off."

"I guess it's possible. You know, me and him had a similar conversation before I asked you out. 'It's a bad idea to date a teammate!'" Bolin said, using a deep voice that sounded nothing like Mako to quote him.

Korra didn't bother suppressing a giggle, instead rubbing her cheek against his arm affectionately.

Bolin looked down at her with a warm smile.

The two remained silent for several minutes, the only sounds that of the surrounding city muffled behind the tree cover, the wind making its way through the park, and the sound of Naga's paws making contact with the cobblestone path behind them.

"I think it's about time we head back," said Bolin suddenly, after glancing at one of the nearby clock towers.

"Already?" groaned Korra, Bolin privately pleased she seemed as willing for the date to end as he was.

"We need to be back in less then an hour, and Mako will probably be mad at us if we make him wait till the last minute," argued Bolin.

Korra gave a resigned sigh, before glancing at her roses, "Ya know, I just realized I have no place to put these," she muttered more to herself.

"Well, we could probably find a place at my apartment for them if you want," suggested Bolin.

"Maybe, but I kinda want to keep them with me...and I don't really want them wet, so I guess I'll have to take the ferry home tonight." she said with a sigh.

"Sorry," said Bolin, not having thought of the issues she might have to deal with when taking the flowers home.

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that!" Korra said apologetically, turning to face him, "I love them, really! Besides, gives the White Lotus something to do, at any rate."

"I'm glad," replied Bolin honestly, smiling at her.

She smiled back, before raising her eyebrow, "So, Arena?"

"Huh? Oh, right!" exclaimed Bolin, having temporarily forgotten. Korra gave another giggle at his expense before the two climbed onto Naga right behind them, and then made their way back to the Pro-Bending Arena to prepare for their Semi-finals match.

* * *

A/N: well, meant to get the Semi-finals in here, but I got side tracked with all the relationship stuffs...which originally formed in my mind when I was half awake and had the whole conversation all mapped out. When it came to writing it down, however, I'd forgotten half the transitions and then had to improvise. I think I still accomplished what I set out to do for those bits, although its a bit choppier then it needed to be.

Edit: originally, Mako was massively ooc during the Mako/Asami bit. I've now fixed this, though both the quality and word count have suffered a bit for it; but it'll make the future plot a bit easier to work with, hopefully.

Moving on! Second chapter done! And thus far with a word count to set my other stories to shame! Here's to hoping I didn't just jinx myself and never come out with chapter three! (Seriously, fingers crossed).

Also, I'd like to point out that action scenes are not my forte. In fact, I usually find such things boring to read; I hope this does not bleed into how I wrote the Quarter-Final match, making that boring for you readers (of which I seem to have a few!) in turn. Naturally, any feedback or critiques you can send my way on that front would be appreciated.

And now, some notes about my mental musings and reasoning's for some things that occurred;

(1)- Mako, like in canon, is totally jealous right now. But he doesn't know that (he just thinks he's mad for no reason). However, Korra is suppressing her feelings right now, so instead of 'just being honest' as she was in canon, she takes his words at face value.

(2)- The Boarpines players were never named in canon (except, as I later found out, their Earthbender Chang; but I wrote most of this before that little tidbit), so I made up my own names. In honor of Borderlands 2 which just recently came out (and oddly enough, I have yet to beat; have to fix that soon), I named the players Jakob (water), Torgu (earth), and Mali (fire), after the Jacobs, Torgue, and Maliwan gun manufacturers. I'm weird like that.

(3)- I kinda figure that the smart-playing Boarpines would notice Mako is the weakest Ferret right now. But remember how their Firebender got injured? Yeah, their weakest player too. And as for facing the Avatar in her preferred element? Not a good idea. Earth was their best chance of winning, so that's what they choose.

So, maybe drop me a review? Let me know what you think, suggestions for improvement (I know the Mako/Asami bits in this chapter need work, so any help there is appreciated), and I'd also like to know where you think this is going? Cause I've got a few ideas but nothing's in stone yet (literally and figuratively).

So you next chap!


	3. The Tournament (Part 2)

A/N: a day before the tail end of my estimate, yeesh, sorry I didn't get this done earlier. Fixed a few bits in the previous chapters that were bothering me; mostly just a bit of fleshing out but I massively changed the events of the Mako/Asami scenes in chap 2; recommend you go reread that if you haven't already. Also, special thanks to **Thermal Man** for helping me brainstorm and sound board a few ideas. Next chap might be a bit longer, as it was my birthday yesterday and now I've got a few new games to occupy my time. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I would go onto some creative spiel about how I don't own anything, but then I realized that's basically what everyone else is doing. So I decided to do it anyway.

Chapter 3

The Tournament (Part 2)

"You ready for this?" asked Bolin.

"Of course," replied Korra offhandedly, "they won't know what hit them."

The two had stopped by the brothers shared apartment to drop off the roses for safe-keeping during the match, and had inadvertently walked in on Mako and Asami having a 'moment'. The two had quickly broken up at the interruption, and Asami quietly left, saying she should probably be heading for her seat in the stands. Not long after, the three teammates started heading down to the locker rooms.

Korra had been uncomfortable with the entire situation, and considered the less said about it the better, but Bolin was considerably more worried; the looks in their eyes was a far cry from the normal lovey dovey expressions they usually gave each other. Mako was keeping tight-lipped about what happened, and at Bolin's prying he'd used a tone Bolin hadn't heard in a long time.

Following their parents deaths, Mako and Bolin had led a troubled life of poverty on the streets. Doing whatever they could to survive, the sometimes managed to get work with the Triple Threat Triad, an organized Bending crime syndicate. Although several of their activities were...questionable, none of them were outright illegal, so long as they didn't ask too many questions. Bolin, being the curious, bubbly person he was, often did just that, and only Mako shutting him up super fast kept them from suffering severe consequences.

So it's little surprise Bolin had stopped asking the moment he heard that tone, which was Mako's intention, but that had only amplified Bolin's worry for his brother. It didn't help that Korra also seemed to have no desire to find out what had happened either.

Mako was often the one who took the brunt of the dealing as he tried to shield Bolin from what horrors he could. As a result, Bolin was not used to burying his emotions for extended periods of time. Life on the streets had been hard, but Bolin had always managed to remain free-spirited and positive. So when he tried to push the worry out of his mind and focus on the upcoming match, he found himself failing.

"Hey, are you ready for this?" asked Korra concerned, evidently noticing his unusual lack of enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I'm just...worried," replied Bolin, attempting to hide a glance at Mako. However, both his teammates noticed.

Mako sighed, knowing that he'd have to placate his brother somehow in order to get his mind off what he walked in on and focus on the match, "Look, if you really want to know I'll tell you after the match. But for now, all you need to know is that we're dealing with it."

While not particularly reassuring, Bolin was used to how Mako tended to handle things, and knew that at this point he would either have to take Mako for his word...or something really bad was about to blow up in their faces. .

Bolin really hoped it wasn't the latter.

Both Mako and Korra gave a mental sigh of relief as the worry seemed to drain from Bolin's face, replaced by his usual competitive smirk; Mako because he was now focusing on the match rather then his love life, and Korra because she had her Bolin back.

If she was honest with herself, Korra had found it very weird. While she'd definitely been uncomfortable watching Mako in a potentially compromising position with another girl, she'd been even more uncomfortable with the idea of Bolin not acting like his usual self. The mere thought of him being sad, worried, lost, confused, or basically just all around not happy made her heart beat a little faster and her muscles tense ever so slightly, as if ready to hit someone at a moments notice.

Thankfully, it appeared that everything going to be ok, and they could direct their attention to their upcoming Semi-finals match.

"And welcome back to the Annual Pro-Bending Championship Tournament! I'm your host Shiro Shinobi, here live in the arena for the Semi-final matches! Both teams have worked hard to get here, and have decidedly pushed back and defeated their previous opponents. You can't find two teams more evenly matched in age, size, and strength then the Fire Ferrets, and the Buzzard Wasps. Believe me, I've looked! This should be a pulse-pounding semi-final folks! Which team will manage to trump the other, and earn their way into the finals?"

At the ding, both teams blurred into motion, "And the Buzzard Wasps open with a flawlessly executed combo! Bolin and Korra take an early visit to zone 2. Mako just barely holding onto zone 1!"

Feeling the pressure of three benders hammering at him, along with the emotional stress of the day, Mako felt himself crack. Giving a snarl of frustration that caused Bolin to look at him in surprise, Mako let go of his restraint a unleashed a flurry of fire bolts.

"An aggressive play by Mako, both Jes and Dirk get pushed back into zone 2- a strike from Korra and Corvo joins them! Ferrets get the green light to advance!" (1) (2)

Bolin quickly caught up to Mako before he moved on, "hey, you ok?"

Mako a breath to calm himself, embarrassed at his loss of control. Then he replied, "I'm fine. Worry about the other team, alright?" the two shared a look before Mako moved forward.

"The Wasps are pushing hard, trying to even up the playing field by knocking Mako back into his own zone, but he's having none of it! After a surprising bout of aggression from the normally 'cool under fire' rookie, he has gone completely defensive, dodging and weaving and blocking everything the Wasps throw at him! Oh, but a strike from Dirk trips him up!"

Both Bolin and Korra watched as Mako was suddenly in the air not by his volition. Bolin hesitated at the sight, but Korra saw Corvo lining up a strike to knock him out. Reacting quickly, she launched a strike of her own.

"An impressive play by Korra! Corvo is knocked into zone 3, but a follow up strike by Jes launches Mako back onto his home side. Wasps get the green-light to advance, but there's the bell, they're outta time! With Corvo still in zone 2, Round 1 goes to the Fire Ferrets!"

The crowd was going wild at the action-packed round, but it was only beginning. Soon, both teams were lining up for Round 2, the Ferrets determined to press their advantage, the Wasps determined to usurp it.

"The Buzzard Wasps start off with another impressive combo, but the Fire Ferrets are ready for it! Two subsequent strikes from Bolin send Jes into zone 2, Korra playing defense as she blocks a few strikes meant for him from Corvo. Mako launches a flurry of strikes, distracting Dirk and Corvo as Bolin lines up the shot! Impressive teamwork by the Buzzard Wasps, they get to keep their territory for now, but the Fire Ferrets are pushing hard!"

_'That fire chick is starting to annoy me,'_ thought Korra to herself, as Jes launched another volley of fire blasts, causing her and Mako to adjust their positions. She launched a speedy bolt of water at her, but Jes nimbly dodged out of the way, having seen it coming a mile away.

Frustration mounting, Korra launched strike after strike at the elusive Firebender.

"Korra!" she heard Bolin shout in warning. She turned, noticing the earth disks heading her way too late.

Bolin unthinkingly dived in front of her, smashing two of the three disks with his own, as the third one smacked right into him, knocking him into Korra and sending both of them into Zone 2.

"Bad move by the Fire Ferrets, the Buzzard Wasps are pressing their advantage as they once again pound into Mako! Korra adds her support to her beleaguered teammate, but wait! Bolin appears to be injured, he's using only one arm! A well placed strike from Korra sends Dirk into zone 2, and Mako uses the opening to knock back Corvo, giving the Ferrets the greenlight! Mako hanging on by a thread to keep the Ferrets on top, and- he's saved by the bell! Round two goes to the Fire Ferrets!"

Both Korra and Mako hurried over to Bolin, "You alright?" asked Korra worriedly.

"Uh, yeah, should be fine. Just took a good hit to the shoulder is all," he replied, trying to roll it and wincing. "Won't be much help in the next round, I'm afraid."

Korra turned to Mako, uncertain, "So what now?"

Mako glanced at the Wasps, before looking back at Bolin, "You can still play right?"

"What?" said Korra, angry that he'd have Bolin play when he was obviously injured.

"Yeah, I can play, don't worry," said Bolin, glancing uneasily at Korra, whose anger simmered at his reply.

Noticing she was still glaring at him, Mako said, "right now, they need a knock out to win. So long as we don't let them do that, we win, and we'll have an easier time of it if they have three people to shoot at. Besides, knowing Bolin, he'd be pretty mad at having to sit out the last round."

"Got that right!" exclaimed Bolin, before wincing as another pang of pain came from his shoulder.

Korra took a calming breath, surprised and slightly embarrassed about her sudden protectiveness of Bolin. That didn't mean she had to like him playing while injured, "fine," she said, her tone making her feelings known to the two boys.

"Good," said Mako, letting out a breath of relief he hadn't known he'd been holding, as the three lined up on their side of the field.

"And the Wasps push hard and fast for the start of round three! They need a knock out to win, and with one of the Fire Ferrets injured they may just get the chance. They seem to be trying to target Bolin, but Korra is not letting them through, I've never seen such ferocity from the Avatar before! They shift their strikes to Mako, and they succeed in pushing him back into zone 2, soon followed by Bolin. Korra holds the line, but with the lack of support from her teammates, the Buzzard Wasps push her into zone 2, and they get the green-light to advance. They are not letting up, with time ticking down, so too do their chances of victory!

"And a strike from Jes knocks Bolin into zone 3! But he's back up and still playing with his one good arm as Mako and Korra form a defensive line in front of him, they're barely even attacking back!"

This continued for what seemed like an eternity to Korra, the injured Bolin doing what he could from behind, while she and Mako tried to block or divert any more strikes from getting through. The Wasps were getting desperate, they knew they needed the Ferrets all in the drink, and were pulling out all the stops to get them in there. However, worry for Bolin, anger at her worry, and annoyance at the entire situation had put Korra in a very aggressive mood.

Thankfully, the bell rang, and the dejected Wasps backed off. Though they'd clearly won the round, they'd failed to score a knock-out, earning the Fire Ferrets the win.

"In a stunning display of skill, talent, and dare I say a bit of luck, the Fire Ferrets have triumphed over the Buzzard Wasps! I guarantee that people will be talking about this match for years to come!"

Said Fire Ferrets had quickly met up back in the locker room.

"Where does it hurt?" asked Korra urgently.

"Relax, Korra, I'm fine! Er, I'll be fine, I mean," reassured Bolin. Korra responded with a flat stare, making him decidedly uncomfortable.

Before she could continue badgering him, the Wolfbats walked into the locker room, already suited up and ready for their own semi-final match. The two teams pointedly ignored each other, until Tahno made a grimace.

"Ooh, you boys smell something in here?" he asked, before he raised his finger in a gesture as if he'd figured something out, "Wait, I know what that is, that's the scent of losers," he taunted.

"Oh, go hump a penguin, Tahno," said Korra distractedly, Bolin taking up the majority of her attention at the moment.

The three boys all stared at Korra in surprise, and Tahno, unable to think of a witty come back, simply walked out into the field with his teammates.

"Hump a penguin?" came a familiar voice from the doorway.

Mako greeted his girlfriend with a small kiss, while Korra turned to Asami with a shrug and said, "first thing that came to mind. Now," she continued, redirecting her attention back at Bolin, "sit."

Obediently, Bolin sat, "Uh, shouldn't we get like a doctor or something?" he asked uncertainly, not at all liking the look Korra was giving him.

At this, Korra chuckled and gave him a smile, "Relax, Bo, I'm a healer. I learned from Katara, the best there is," she said, bending some nearby water into her hands, where it took on a calming glow.

With that bit of information now known, Bolin find himself relaxing easily, and gingerly unclasped part of his uniform to reveal an angry red mark on his shoulder, which was quickly growing into a bruise. "Ok, just be care-! Ful..." he started as Korra ignored him and got right to work, using the water to cleanse the wound, "oh...that's the stuff," he moaned as the pain gave way to a sense of euphoria.

Hearing himself, he quickly shaped up, a small blush of embarrassment on his cheeks.

"Feeling better?" asked Korra gently, smiling kindly at him as she continued to heal the wound.

"Oh, yeah, way better, thanks," Bolin said, returning the smile.

Unfortunately, their moment was broken as they heard the announcer, "Your winners, the White Falls Wolfbats!"

"What?" asked Korra incredulously, looking away from Bolin, "How is it over already?"

"Round one knockout," said Asami, who along with Mako had been watching the whole time in hopes of researching their next opponent.

"The other guys didn't stand a chance, the way they opened," added Mako, shocked.

Korra stared open mouthed, before refocusing her attention to Bolin's injured shoulder, "looks like we have our work cut out for us then," she said distractedly.

Her teammates couldn't help but silently agree.

"So I guess you finally got to walk me to the port," commented Korra teasingly, a few hours later.

"Yup, mission accomplished! Next up is walking on water, should be a piece of cake compared to this," replied Bolin jovially, Korra attempting to stifle her laughter behind her hand.

In her other hand, she held her roses, recently retrieved from his apartment so she could take them home to her room at Air Temple Island. As she didn't want to risk drowning the flowers she'd opted to take the ferry across Yue Bay to reach the island.

"So, uh, yeah. Here we are," said Bolin, unsure what to say now.

"Yup," replied Korra, giving her roses another sniff and seemingly unbothered by the suddenly awkward atmosphere.

"Pardon me, Avatar," interrupted one of the nearby White Lotus guards, "I don't mean to intrude, but we'll departing in a few minutes. We need to ensure the supplies are delivered on time," he said politely.

"Don't worry, I'll be there," she said, the guard nodding and walking off after only a second of hesitation. She turned to Bolin, "I guess I should be going, then."

"Uh, yeah, I guess," said Bolin with a shrug. He felt his heart clench as she gave a 'hm', and then turned and started walking away, "hey, k-k-Korra?" he stuttered suddenly.

Korra stopped immediately, and turned to face him, "Yes, Bo?" she asked curiously.

"Aren't you f-forgetting..." he trailed off, unsure, cheeks flushing in embarrassment, "no, no, never mind. It's not important," he continued dismissively, looking away.

He heard her take a few steps closer to him, "Aren't I forgetting what?" she continued in the same curious tone.

"N-nothing..." he said, her face now merely inches from his. She had a small smile and raised an eyebrow as she patiently waited for him to say it. Feeling his face go completely red both from their proximity and what he wanted to say, he eventually decided _'what the hey.'_

"G...goodbye kiss?" he said, his voice just above a whisper. He felt his heart jump into his throat as she suddenly leaned forward, closing her eyes, and planted her lips on his right check. The very edges of their lips were touching, he didn't know if she'd done it on purpose or her aim had been a little off, but he wasn't about to ask her.

As she pulled away a few seconds later, "all you had to do was ask, Bo," she said quietly with a wide smile.

Bolin returned it with a smile that was just as large, no, larger then hers, and the look in his eyes surprised, scared, and excited her all at the same time. In that moment, the only thing, the only person that Bolin cared about in the whole wide world was right in front of him, and in that moment Korra understood what it meant to be loved unconditionally.

She turned away, suddenly unsure and confused as she headed for the boat, her heart caught in her throat making it difficult to breath and even more difficult to think. As she walked, she regained enough control of her emotions to risk another longing glance over her shoulder at Bolin, _her_ boyfriend, and said, "Good night Bo!"

"Good night, Korra!" he called back ecstatically, "sweet dreams!"

The two continued to watch the other, Korra from the railing of the ferry, Bolin from the pier, as the boat finally shipped off towards Air Temple Island. Korra eventually turned away when he was nothing more then a tiny black dot on a thin stretch of gray, her thoughts a confusing maelstrom.

As Korra walked through the compound lost in thought, her roses did not go unnoticed by the Air Acolytes, though she was grateful none of them commented on it as she headed for her room.

However, for the first time that night, she came to regret Bolin giving her the flowers, as a bundle of Airbending joy suddenly jumped out of no where, "Ooh! Flowers! Who gave you flowers? Are they from Mako? Did you tell him? Why didn't you tell me you told him? Did you two go on a date? Is that why you have flowers? They're pretty, can I have one?" came the questions at a very rapid pace.

"Hello to you too, Ikki," said Korra, her eye twitching in annoyance. While she was used to Ikki's rapid-fire method of talking, all she really heard was 'flowers, Mako, tell, tell, date, flowers, can I have one?'

"Shouldn't you be in bed or something?" Korra mumbled offhandedly.

"Lights out isn't for another twenty-three minutes," answered Jinora, popping out from an adjoining hallway, her face half-buried behind one of her father's books as she glanced at Korra over the pages. "and I must admit, I'm also curious as to the answer to Ikki's question."

Korra glanced between the two girls, giving a sigh when she realized she wasn't getting out of this situation, "which one?" she asked in a bored tone.

Ikki was about to repeat herself when Jinora cut off, "Are those flowers from Mako?" she said with a smile that was slowly widening.

"No," answered Korra in a flat tone, satisfied to see the immense surprise on the two girls faces, "Now if that's all-"

Jinora cut her off before she finished (Korra really should've known better), her surprise having turned into curiosity, "Then who gave you flowers?"

"Can I have one?" asked Ikki suddenly, unable to contain the question anymore without bouncing off the walls, (Pema would be upset with her if she started doing that again).

"No!" Korra practically yelled, hugging them to her chest and holding herself slightly farther away from Ikki. Irritably, she said, "and who says anyone gave them to me?"

"Flowers are a very common form of gift-giving, particularly in the realm of dating. Also, your reaction is incredibly telling, suggesting notable sentimental value, as would be the case if gifted by a significant other," said Jinora calmly, hiding her wide smirk behind her book as Korra gave silent groan, "so, who gave them to you?"

Korra sighed, "You know, one day that intelligence is gonna get you in serious trouble."

"Quite possible," agreed Jinora, having previous predicted such an occurrence, "so?" she pressed.

Korra looked back and forth between the two sisters, one part of her incredibly reluctant to inform them of the recent occurrences in her love life; another part literally dying to tell them (or at least someone!).

"Bolin gave them to me,"; she said with a shrug, silently pleased with the looks of shock they were giving her.

"Bolin? Isn't he that chubby, loudmouthed, smooth-talking Earthbender that's also Mako's brother?" asked Ikki curiously.

"Excuse me?" said Korra angrily, glaring at the little brat who gave a scared 'Eep!' before hiding behind her slightly older sister.

"Ignore her," said Jinora dismissively. Ikki popped out for an indignant 'Hey!", but another glare from Korra had her hiding again. "How did such a development occur?" Jinora asked with a curious smile.

"Well..." Korra paused uncertain how to go about it. She really didn't want to go into how she'd almost told Mako about her feelings for him (speaking of, did she still have those feelings? She still cared about Mako, yes, but in the last two days her feelings for Bolin seemed to have grown stronger then her feelings for Mako had ever been. What's with that?). Eventually she settled on only a slight deviation from the truth.

"Bolin asked me out. I was a little unsure at first, but it sounded fun, so I said yes. He ended up taking me to Narook's, a restaurant that specialized in Southern Water Tribe Cuisine," she couldn't keep a fond smile off her face at the thought of it; she didn't notice that both Ikki and Jinora's smiles widened because of it, "After that he took me out to have some Ice cream, I hadn't had any before."

"You never had ice cream before?!" exclaimed Ikki in shock.

"I imagine it would be rather uncommon at the south pole," cut in Jinora.

"I love ice cream! Daddy rarely lets us have any," whined Ikki forlornly.

At Korra's curious glance, Jinora elaborated, "Ice cream has very little nutritional value, so it is unwise to eat large amounts of it. Additionally, a few of the flavors are made using animal products, which would be...improper, for us to consume." (3)

_'That...is actually pretty disgusting,'_ Korra thought to herself.

"Anyway, please continue. You left off at Ice Cream?"

"Ah, right. After that we ended up visiting the top of Harmony Tower and saw some sights. I gotta admit, it was pretty amazing."

"But when did you get the flowers?" exclaimed Ikki, confused.

"Today," answered Korra simply. Seeing Ikki's blank look, she elaborated, "The dinner at Narook's was yesterday."

"Ooh!" said Ikki, nodding to herself.

"Anyway, I should probably get a vase for these or something before heading to bed; got the finals in the morning after all!" said Korra, gesturing towards her roses.

"We should have a few spares near the garden. This way," said Jinora.

As she started leading them through the compound, Korra couldn't help a sense of relief at having told them. Partially because it hadn't been nearly as stressful as she'd half imagined it would be, and partially because, despite them being nearly half her age, it was great to be able to talk to other girls.

Ten minutes later found Korra admiring her new roses yet again. They'd found a simple clay pot, painted a color matching the walls, to put the roses in. She'd rearranged her room a bit so they could be on a counter right in front of her window.

Slowly, she turned away and climbed into bed, thinking over the day.

Mako giving her attitude in the morning, though he soon after apologized. The match against the Boar-q-pines, which was pretty close in all honesty. The walk in the park with Bolin.

She smiled at the thought of Bolin, but it quickly turned into a frown; she still had that look he gave her burned into her mind. It had been so open, so genuine, so _honest_, and she didn't know what to do about it. She should be happy about it, right? Then why wasn't she? All she could feel in response was troubled. She needed to talk to someone about; and it couldn't be Ikki and Jinora.

While it had been both pleasant and a relief to tell them about her growing relationship with Bolin, this somehow seemed far more...personal. Definitely not something she wanted spread around (not that Jinora or Ikki would intentionally spread it around, but Ikki tended to speak before she thought, and she spoke very loudly most of the time).

Not to mention the Final Match of the tournament was tomorrow. Focusing on that, she slowly drifted off, eventually falling asleep. As her thoughts once again turned to Bolin and his smile.

A/N: aaaaand done! Semi-final done, some Borra fluff, and we see Jinora and Ikki again! I wanted to end it here, as everything after this point is subject to change pretty drastically depending on which route I go, and there's a lot of routes I have thought out. There's a few plot points that I really want to do, but I can't seem to make them fit in the same plot line, so I'm definitely gonna have to remove some bits and fill in others where I still got holes.

Added some friction into Korra and Bolin's relationship at the end; honestly, that was completely spontaneous, but it should be interesting, I think.

So; bring me your thoughts! Where do you think this is going? What do you think will happen? What to you _want_ to happen? I can't guarantee you'll change anything, but it could help me brainstorm better ideas! And while you're at it, point out any trouble spots you think could use more work (explain why, please), or suggest other bits of potential improvement. I'd appreciate it tremendously!

More notes:

(1) So, I checked the wiki and such this time, and double checked for names, and none for the Buzzard Wasps were given. So, in honor of Dishonored (which also just came out) I named the players Jes (Fire), and Corvo (Water) after Jessamine Caldwin, and Corvo Attano. I also named the Earth player Dirk, because I could not find a sufficiently 'earthy' sounding name among the characters in the game.

(2) I've read and reread the wiki concerning Pro-Bending rules, and I'm not sure on something that occurred here. I know if the team gets the green light, they advance, but one thing that's not clear is do they all advance just 1 zone (so, lets say team1 has a guy in zone 1, in zone 2, and zone 3, and they get the green-light, then they'll have a guy in zone 2, zone 1, and one guy in the opposite zone 1) or do they all advance to the captured zone (so, same example, they get green-light, and team1 all move up to the opposite zone 1)? The former seems more likely, and fairer, so that's what I went with; so Korra and Bolin moved back up to Zone 1, while Mako traveled to the enemy zone 1 alone.

(3) No idea if this is true or not, didn't bother researching it. Seems easily applicable, and if it isn't true in real life, we can just pretend it is true in the Avatar world. Side note: I like writing Jinora, even if sometimes shes smarter then I am.

So review! (Please).


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